For ailing Make-A-Wish children, 'Cake Boss' visit is extra sweet

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HOBOKEN — Asked how she wanted to decorate her Make-A-Wish cake, Mount Olive teenager Casey Markowitz told New Jersey’s most famous cake boss Buddy Valastro that she wanted three things on it: herself, the color red and jewelry.

"You want some bling on it?" asked Valastro, star of television’s "Cake Boss." "I like bling. We can do that."

It was a Make-A-Wish dream come true for 17-year-old Casey, who has been fighting Hodgkin’s disease. She and 10 other children from across the world roamed through Valastro’s Jersey City cooking school Monday, fulfilling their requests to the Make-A-Wish Foundation: decorating cakes in true "Cake Boss" style.

They munched on brownies, cookies and cream-filled pastries. They adorned their cakes with edible elephants, disco balls and other quirky ornaments. They threw whipped cream pies.

The group then spent the afternoon at Valastro’s Hoboken bakery, less than a mile away. Casey Markowitz was the only Garden State native, and some children came from as far as Italy and Portugal.

"I’m a dad, so this hits home for me," Valastro said. "They can do whatever they want today."

The only thing Casey wished for was to see Valastro in his element. Casey Markowitz, a senior at Mount Olive High School, watched "Cake Boss" reruns while she recovered from chemotherapy, inspiring her to do more baking on her own.

"She never really seemed to feel like she was sick," said her father, Mark.

Casey went home with a two-tiered, faux-jewel-studded cake. A miniature Casey Markowitz — clad in a red version of her prom dress — adorned the top.